Our TEAM camera traps continue to deluge us with information. Our 2010 camera trap survey recorded the first records in Bwindi of the sitatunga, the melanistic color morph of the African golden cat, poachers and many more. Earlier this year, a mystery duiker and more evidence of poaching were recorded. This time around, I have images of pigs whose species I am having trouble to confirm. May I please seek for your expert advice?
- Side view
Front view
Front view
I look forward to your thoughts.
With wishes,
Badru
4 Comments
Giant Forest Hog??
Hi Jimmy, many thanks for your identification. What could be the distinctive features? I have lots of such images and am having difficulty to ID. Thanks
Hi Badru
I shared the pictures around. There was a strong sugegstion that these animals might be Red river hog (which would have been a remarkable record), but I got the following clear reply from Jonathon Kingdon:
“In Uganda bushpigs are virtually always red on their sides, like river hogs. These are bushpigs. Red river hogs have less massive side guards and much more clearly defined face patterns plus tassels on ear tips.
In the past I have argued that there might be an effective hybrid zone in Western Uganda but any such possibility could only be proved by an exhaustive genetic study.
Sorry to disappoint the river hoggers!”
best wishes
Douglas
Thanks Doug….Tom Butynski agrees to Jonathan’s ID. I agree that a record of the Red river hog in Bwindi would be a splendid one. Below I include Tom’s communication:
Dear All,
In roughly 1984, a few of us published a paper in African Journal of
Ecology on colour variation among bushpigs in Kibale. Senior author is Ghiglieri, M. That might be of use. I do not have that paper here…or on pdf…but it should not be too hard to find.
In Kibale there is enormous colour variation…with many animals of mixed colour. Kibale, perhaps also Bwindi, might be part of a clinal zone between the two ‘species’?
I doubt that P. porcus is in SW Uganda…but I would not bet too much on that…being that they are right on the other side of the Rift. If in Uganda, I’d expect them to be at Ishasha…but they seem absent from there.
In central Kenya we have reddish P. larvatus that one would think, on
first glance, are P. porcus…except for the lack of the long white ear tufts. Same for the Udzungwas in SC TZ.
You might put the word out among the Bwindi and Kibale rangers,
researchers, et al. that you would like to see some skulls. They may well already know where there are some.
Please send that camera trap video.
Regards,
Tom